Seeking to capitalize on the popularity of its telenovelas – or mini soap operas – Telemundo is repurposing broadcast content on its website in a variety of ways.
One thing that it is doing is creating discussion forums around the telenovelas, so that viewers can exchange feedback and commentary about the show with one another. This move has been particularly well-received among web visitors. The station launched a group dedicated to its “Zorro” show in January, and the forum logged 46 entries in that same month. That number ballooned to 351 in February, and is on track to exceed that figure for March.
Telemundo is also introducing other interactive ways for viewers to become more engaged with the shows online. The company is inviting people to send in home-videos interpreting some aspect of the Zorro– whether dramatically, or through song and dance, or some other interpretive act, and then posting that user-generated content on its website.
According to Borja Perez, vice president of market development for Telemundo's digital media, the company has had an easy time selling video advertisement spots to advertisers. “With the maturation of broadband, this has become a more viable option, and in addition, many of the advertisers already have the content from their TV spots,” notes Perez.
